From their palms to His palms

The same word, the same spelling;
but oh so different meanings
frame the week to come
Their palms, in joy, in triumph,
in praise of His entrance,
a king entering the holy city,
where His ancestors sat on the throne
palms and hosannas greeted him
welcoming him, his entourage, in
His palms, turned by other hands,
opened for the piercing, the sharp cut
the nails driven into His palms
holding him in agony, in death
to the wooden cross, in crucifixion
The same word, the same spelling;
but oh so different meaning,
played out in His Passion
before our praise
come Easter morning.

March 12, 2008